When in doubt, I don't own anything; though I think more of this is my own invention than in any of the other stories I've written thus far. Call me creative. ;)
TRIGGER WARNINGS: This is more intense than most of my writing usually is and includes torture and violence.
Sahira walked confidently down the cobbled stone street, unafraid of being spotted for what she was, despite the dense crowds. She knew that she had worked a convincing disguise charm and that, to any of the pedestrians, she was just another non-descript figure. Right now, she needed the mobility this gave her. Sahira had business here, someone to find, but she couldn't be caught dead as a wizard in the middle of a warden neighborhood. Then again, neither could her target.
—
Sahar was slinking quietly down an alley, away from his sister, as fast as he could. Things had gotten messy and he had to fix them while he was still in control of his own body. He didn't want to leave her again; but he couldn't serve the Order of Merlin and she couldn't leave. He never would have even returned if Denali hadn't made him. Frankly, after ten years apart, Sahar was surprised at how guilty he felt running away again.
Quickly and quietly he slunk out from the cover of the alley and onto a crowded street, destination in sight. If Sahar could make it to the red, rundown shack at the end of the road, there was a chance he could sever his connection with Denali and get away with the help of the warden who ran the shop. Still, it was a risk. Sahar may be an ex-wizard, but he still couldn't be caught here.
—
Sahira watched as her target came into sight. The sturdy, athletic build of her brother hadn't changed a bit in ten years. He still had the physique of a trained wrestler, though his entire appearance seemed disheveled, from his blonde hair to his tattered brown robe. His blue eyes continually glanced down the street, straight past Sahira. Her illusion was working.
As Sahar quietly merged into the crowded street, he drew the hood of his robe tighter around his head and Sahira caught a glimpse of his long, pointed ears; the mark of an elf. She had them as well, but her's were still growing. Setting her eyes determinedly ahead, making it look like she was going someplace, Sahira strode passed her brother. As she did, she stepped on his foot and dropped her illusion.
—
It took Sahar a minute to realize what had happened. One moment he was in the middle of a crowded street, the next he was being pinned awkwardly to a wall in the alley he had just left. It wasn't until he saw the blue eyes of his sister glaring up at him that he put it together. As he had been walking towards Yusaeid's shop, crowds of shoppers amassed on either side of him, one person had stepped on his foot as they brushed by. Sahar didn't know how he hadn't realized it was his sister sooner. He knew she was becoming quite the magician, but if she was casting illusions and teleporting like that, she was getting better than even he could have guessed.
Now, he was stuck though. Sahira may have been smaller than him and -though she looked strong in the way a gymnast might- Sahar knew she was neither nimble nor strong. Even still, she had him secured.
With one arm she pinned his arm awkwardly above his head, requiring little strength to keep it there. In her other hand she held her wand ready and pressed her thumb into Sahar's neck. He could feel the effects of a silencing charm constricting his lungs closed, and his energy seeping through his foot -where she continued to step on him- in a way that was completely foreign. He couldn't have put up a proper fight even if he had wanted to.
—
Sahira glared up at her brother, unsure of who's eyes she was looking into. She hadn't seen Sahar in so long, so when she heard that he had returned to Qry she had let her hopes rise. She didn't need him in her life, but she couldn't help wanting it. Then she had heard that he came under the control of a siesta by the name Denali and her anger against him rose. He -who claimed that he didn't want to have anything to do with the Merlin's wizards or their battles- didn't have business going anywhere near the Enchanted Forests or their siestas. But Sahar had apparently been close enough to be bitten by one. And that had caused problems.
Now, Sahira had no way of knowing who was controlling his actions. Was her brother currently asleep, allowing Denali control over his mind and body? Or was it really her brother, awake and fully himself? Lessening the pressure of her thumb on his throat, she continued to glare at him. When he continued to stay silent she asked him, "Who are you?"
—
The question saddened Sahar. "It's me," he whispered, but as soon as the words left his lips, he knew that he had no way to prove it. He had been absent from her life since she was five, any memories she had of him were fuzzy at best, they didn't share anything he could use to prove who he was. "Look, I need to get to Yusaeid, he can help sever my contract with the siesta. Just let me go. Or you could take me."
Sahira looked confused. "Contract?" she asked. Sahar nodded, as much as he could with his elbow skewed above his head and a wand at his throat. Sahira continued to look at him. After a moment, she shook her head. "I can't risk it," she said. "I'm not foolish."
"I know," Sahar sighed.
—
The hopelessness in his voice was convincing. Sahira could almost hope it was her brother she was talking to, no matter how mad she was at him. Then there was the part about the contract; that was perhaps most convincing of all. She knew that it was something important, and that meant the siesta would have been unlikely to mention it. Nevertheless, she couldn't question him about it here, and she definitely wasn't about to take him into some warden's shop on the off hand chance he would know how to sever the mysterious contract. Nope, she would proceed with the plan.
She gave a short high-pitched whistle and, a moment later, Creed emerged from the shadows.
—
Sahar watched with disinterest as an enormous purple skinned woman -clearly a tiefling- approached. Usually this would have terrified him, but he was distracted. In the back of his mind he thought he had felt a wisp of something, something he had felt thousands of times in the last few years; but it couldn't be Denali. Could it? The closest of the Enchanted Forests was on the other side of the Blue Sea and the siesta needed to be closer than that to take control of him while he was awake. Then he felt it again.
It was her; time was up. Sahir tried to put up a fight. He always did. Then, in a split second, before he could shout any sort of warning, he lost control of his body.
—
After Creed had extracted a glass pebble from a pouch on her side, Sahira handed her Sahar. Creed effortlessly kept him pinned at her side, though Sahar put up no fight. "I'll see you there," the tiefling whispered in her grainy voice as she lifted the stone. Sahira nodded, but kept an eye on her brother. There was a gleam in his eyes that she couldn't place. It was almost humorous how he then seemed to finally take in his predicament. She almost smiled as Sahar struggled for a moment, even biting the tiefling's arm, but he and Creed were already fading away; then they were gone.
Sahira stood alone in the alley listening to the bustle of the road behind her. Seeing her brother again had hit her harder than she had realized. After a few moments she heard a soft cling of glass on stone. The pebble had reappeared at her feet. Taking a breath, she stooped to pick it up, held it in the air, and faded away.
When she reappeared, Sahira found herself on the backside of a grassy hill. She recognized the place as her team's rendezvous point. On the other side of the hill she knew there was a river, and on the far side of the river, the town she had just come from. Any further that that, and all you would find is water. The Blue Sea extended from that inlet in the North, around to the East, then down to the South, veritably making the land of Alharis a peninsula. Turing, Sahira found that the rest of her team had already arrived.
On her left stood Creed, the tall purple skinned tiefling who was her mentor and friend. If there was ever a person Sahira trusted with her life, it was her. On her right stood Lander, a cute half-elf who had apparently gotten there only a moment before Sahira herself. He smiled, and Sahira couldn't help blushing. A few feet away knelt Qiao, a dark skinned human, and the most accomplished wizard among them. He had apparently just finished helping Krusk -a half-orc- bind Sahar. Sahira's brother now had his wrists tied behind his back and he sat with his ankles tied in front of him. Krusk knelt next to him, pinning him roughly against a rock. There was a fresh scratch along Sahar's shoulder and Sahira knew he must have put up a stronger fight than it first seemed. For some reason that unsettled her.
—
Sahar watched from the back of his mind as though a movie were playing before him. No, it was more vivid than any movie, and he could still sense everything: the orc's strong arms restraining his own, the breeze rushing through the open air, and the dull tiredness that still remained in his left foot. Nevertheless, he had no control over any of it. He had to watch Denali dance her way through his life, again.
He fought the tiefling with a grace that was not his own, though even with Denali's skill he was still outmatched. When the dark skinned wizard -Sahar recognized him as his former teacher, Qiao- summoned cords to restrain him, Sahar couldn't help but feel the tiniest bit of relief. He heard a strange popping sound but ignored it and continued to fight, even now that ropes bound him at the feet. After nearly tripping and falling, Sahar tried something he would never do while in possession of his own body. He thrust out his hands on either side of himself and began to cast a shield charm. He never got the chance though because a sudden pain exploded in his shoulder, setting him off balance, and sending him crumpling to the ground. When Sahar's mind cleared, the first thing he noticed was the throbbing pain in his left shoulder, though it faded by the moment. Then he noticed that the tiefling stood in front of him -he now recognized her as Creed, though she was much older now than she was when Sahar had seen her first- and that it was an orc who held him down now. Sahar was sure the orc hadn't been there a minute ago.
"Don't go trying anything or that cut will be the least of your worries," the it growled in his ear.
"What do you want?" he demanded, though the words were not his own. "What have I done-?"
"Silence," Qiao ordered. Seeing his old teacher again was an odd experience for Sahar. He respected the man greatly and felt ashamed for having left his teachings. Most of all he regretted meeting him again in this way. Of course Denali didn't share any of these sentiments.
"What do you want?" he repeated.
"Silence," Qiao repeated. This time he obliged, only because a squeezing sensation pinched off his throat. When he tried to talk, the sensation only increased. Unfortunately for Sahar, Denali kept fighting the silence until it was nearly unbearable.
He was then distracted by a pair of popping sounds slightly to his left, and Sahar noticed the sudden appearance of two more wizards: one of them was Sahira, the other was a boy. Teleporting, he thought to himself, realizing how the orc had appeared so suddenly, and now that he thought about it, how he himself had arrived so quickly out of town.
"Who found him?" the boy, a half-elf, asked.
Creed turned towards him. "Sahira did," she replied. "But I think it's Denali; not the boy."
"Are you sure?" Shaira asked. "I mean, how would you know?"
With a shock, Sahar realized that his sister had believed what he said back at the alley. Somehow that made him feel worse.
"We have no way to be sure without having Lander check," Qiao explained, motioning the boy forward, "but I agree with Creed." Sahira looked crestfallen.
The boy, apparently named Lander, knelt next to Sahar. He tried to edge away from him but the orc prevented this. Taking a fistful of Sahar's hair, the orc forced Sahar's head back against a rock. Now he was looking Lander full in the face.
He looked young, especially for someone part elf. Perhaps only seventeen by Sahar's estimate. He had blonde hair and blue eyes, and basically looked like a prince. Sahar was willing to bet a fortune that this wizard was an enchanter. And he quickly discovered that, had he made that bet, he would've made a fortune.
Lander took a flower petal from a pouch at his side and held it between two fingers. He pressed it onto Sahar's forehead but immediately jerked it away. He started tapping frantically at his throat.
"Sorry," Qiao said, and though Sahar couldn't see him, he supposed he was lifting the silencing charm: the suffocating sensation in his chest released so suddenly it was almost worse than the spell itself.
"Man that was strong," Lander gasped, as Sahar himself coughed in fits.
"He fought the charm," Qiao said, stating the obvious. The wizard shook his head with a look that was akin to disapointment.
"What - do you - want?" Sahar -no, Denali- demanded between coughs. Lander ignored the question and proceeded to press the petal to Sahar's forehead again.
"It's not him," he corrected, addressing Qiao. "It may be late in the morning, but there is definitely a siesta in there." he turned back to Sahar with a confused look on his face. He spoke slowly, "If I didn't know better–"
Suddenly, Sahar realized Lander could sense him. A thrill of hope shot down his spine. Lander knew that he was awake and conscious, despite the siesta's obvious control. With almost panicky effort Sahar tried to take some level of control back- communicate to this boy somehow that he was in here, buried past layers of unconsciousness.
But Sahar never got the chance. In fact, everything he watched from here on out was as though from the bottom of a deep lake; distorted and hard to understand. There was one thought that consumed his mind. My name, he thought, I must say my name. But, of course, he couldn't. Not while Denali was in control.
—
Sahira watched as Lander peered into her brother's mind. He seemed confused about something but Sahira couldn't have guessed what it was. "If I didn't know better," he said, "It would seem your brother's awake in there."
"What do you mean?" Qiao asked.
Lander watched Sahar for another moment, then sighed. "I don't know," he said as he pulled his hand away and stood up. "I guess I haven't worked with siestas enough. The siesta has got control though, I told him to tell me his name–"
"Sahar," came a voice from behind Lander.
Creed laughed. "Nice try."
"–and he absorbed the enchantment the way a sleeping elf would rather than a conscious one."
"Well," Krusk growled as he let go of Sahar's hair, "we need the boy, not this witch." Sahar spat at him, but Krusk didn't bat an eye.
"Well you've got me not him," she said, dropping all pretense of being Sahar. Of course it hadn't been her brother, she was simply too gullible. Sahira couldn't believe she had fallen for the lie back in the alley. Qiao walked toward Sahar until he towered over him.
"I suppose you wouldn't mind leaving?" he asked.
Sahar laughed. "No."
Qiao pulled jade stone from his pouch along with an equally green sponge. "I was afraid you would feel that way." the wizard said. "I will only ask nicely once."
"You can do what you want with the boy. I don't care about this body. I'm not leaving."
"You care more than you will admit." Qiao stated. "But it doesn't matter." He handed Krusk the sponge. The orc pushed it into Sahar's mouth and plugged his mouth and nose, forcing him to swallow. "I can make things very uncomfortable without damaging the boy's body." Qiao warned.
For the first time, Sahar's expression betrayed fear. "I'm not leaving," he repeated.
Qiao ignored her and began muttering under his breath. When he finished he looked down into Sahar's eyes.
"Leave," he commanded, clenching his fist, his voice barely above a whisper. Sahar stared back defiantly. Qiao closed his eyes and splayed his fingers.
The second Qiao's fingers opened, Sahar's expression melted from defiance into pure agony. He let out a blood curdling scream, and began writhing against his bonds. Krusk let go of him and backed away ever so slightly. Sahar crumpled away from the half-orc, and landed on ground with a thud. He continued to writhe.
After only a moment, Qiao closed his hand into a fist again. Sahar fell limp and his body shook with tortured breaths.
"Leave," Qiao commanded again. He gave Sahar a moment, but Sahira's brother continued to lay there, awake as ever. The siesta was refusing to leave him. It's only a siesta, she had to remind herself, Sahar's actually asleep. When Qiao's fingers twitched open again, Sahar opened his mouth in panic, but whatever he had wanted to say was lost amid a second blood curdling scream.
This time was slightly longer. Qiao fluctuated the intensity by softening and hardening how wide he splayed his fingers. Sahar continued to writhe on the ground, and each time the pain increased, he arched his back in complete agony. As quickly as Qiao had started, he stopped. Sahar curled himself into a ball, knees to his chest, even though his feet were bound and his hands were still behind his back. His body shook as he sobbed into his knees.
"No … please … no," he pleaded.
"Leave," Qiao whispered, quieter than ever. Sahar continued to sob.
Sahira couldn't watch. She turned away as her brother let out another scream. It's only a siesta. It's only a siesta, she reminded herself. Still, Sahira couldn't stand watching torture like that, especially the torture of someone who was currently inhabiting her brother's body.
As she climbed up the ravine, she noticed that the screaming had stopped. She turned around and saw that Sahar was limp on the ground breathing soft shallow breaths. He was asleep. Finally, the siesta was gone. It was far from a peaceful sleep, but she supposed it was just as peaceful as anyone could be after being possessed for up to 12 hours. Sahira urged herself to feel proud of Qiao for breaking Denali, for making her leave, but all she could feel was relief that it was over.
She quit climbing and plopped herself down halfway up the slope. Creed came and sat next to her. From there, they watched Krusk conjured a basic sleeping/waking powder from his pouch.
Qiao paced a few feet away, Sahira guessed maybe more shaken than he would like to have anyone see. Lander stood in the same spot he had teleported to; he hadn't moved hardly at all.
"That stuff is hard to watch," Creed said, probably only to console her friend.
Sahira nodded her agreement. "No matter who it is."
From the base of the slope, Lander seemed to wake from his stupor. "I've never seen anything like that before," he stated.
Qiao wheeled around. "That magic," he began, eyes boreing into the half-elf, "serves one purpose alone: torture. Nobody, especially no wizard, would practice it without purpose."
Lander's face blanched. "Sir. I didn't …" he stammered. "No … of course not." Qiao nodded, and turned back away, though it made him look no less imposing.
After a tense moment, Krusk grunted. "The boy was in a cursed sleep," he reminded them as he worked. "He wasn't there for any of it. Remember that. He will likely be scared and confused when he wakes up, but he suffered no pain and had no reason to. Even the cut I gave his shoulder has healed by now. He may be sore, but no sorer than anyone else would be after blowing up the Order's largest base, engaging in battle against trained wizards, spending the night on the run, then getting caught the next morning. It may come as a shock if he really has been asleep since yesterday, but I'll bet you he woke up towards the end of his little demonstration then fell back asleep while on the run. If that is the case, he may not even be all that surprised to wake up and find himself captive."
"Either way, he needs to wake up." Qiao added. Krusk looked at the old wizard imploringly. Qiao nodded and Krusk sprinkled the powder into each of Sahar's ears. After a silent moment, Sahar's eyes fluttered open.
—
Passing out was the greatest mercy Sahar had experienced in many years. Though his mind had been foggy from presumably an enchantment, there is nothing like pain when it comes to breaking certain enchantments. The first time it racked his body, his mind woke back up to everything around him and Sahar no longer felt the need to say his name. Instead he let out a perfect scream.
For perhaps the first time since the siesta had begun controlling him, Sahar's body moved in sync with his mind. Though he was not the one in control, Denali was, their reactions were the same: in perfect unison, they crumpled to the floor and writhed. And when it ended they lay there catching their breath. Who knew all it would have taken was a good dose of torture to make Denali and Sahar see eye to eye? They both wanted away. Just like that, the siesta was gone.
Sahar continued to lay there, now in control of himself, though he didn't have the strength to do anything. "Leave," he heard Qiao say. With a flood of panic Sahar realized they thought Denali was still there. She wasn't though. He, Sahar, was in control of his body now. He opened his mouth to say something but instead let out another scream as his body was racked with pain again. Fire and ice seared through his veins. An eternity was packed into those seconds, and when it was done, he could do nothing. He curled in on himself, not daring to look at Qiao. He heard himself beg for mercy, and eventually it came. During a third pain, Sahar lost consciousness and the world faded to black.
Now, he felt himself coming back. He knew not how long he had been gone, but he knew he did not want to be back, not yet. Still, he could feel his body was rested, and eventually he decided to open his eyes.
The first person he saw was Lander. The boy stood only a few feet away from where Sahar lay. They stared at each other for a moment before Sahar remembered the enchantment.
"Sahar," he said, surprised by how throaty his name came out. Lander looked confused then chuckled with realization.
"You were still under the enchantment?" he asked, stepping forward to help him into a sitting position.
Sahar shook his head. "No. You wanted my name though, didn't you?"
"Yeah," Lander said, more confused than ever. "So could you feel my enchantment before now?"
Sahar nodded. "I felt it muddle my brain," he said, pulling himself into a sitting position as best as he could with his wrists and ankles tied.
"What else did you feel?" a deep voice asked; it was Qiao. The wizard stepped forward, jade stone still in his hand, yet to be stowed away. Sahar involuntarily flinched backward, but there was a wall to his back and he had nowhere to go. The reaction was apparently enough of an answer for Qiao. The old man's lips parted in horror and he turned away.
Lander was the only one to keep his head. Quick as a flash, he snatched up a fresh flower petal and pressed it to Sahar's forehead. Krusk realized what he was doing and caught hold of Sahar's arm gently, but firmly, holding him down. Sahar didn't fight; the fact was that he couldn't tear his eyes away from the rock in Qiao's hand.
After a moment Lander relaxed, but kept his petal pressed to Sahar's forehead. He nodded to Krusk. "It's not her," he said. Then he turned to address Sahar as seriously as possible. "How did you know it was Qiao?"
Sahar didn't register the question, but he tore his eyes away from the old wizard to meet Lander's gaze. "You obviously know what happened, despite being asleep," the half-elf pressed, unuciating each word as though speaking to a child, "but how?"
Sahar glanced at the jade rock again. He fumbled for an answer, "I wasn't - but she was still there, Denali - I don't know how. I'm sorry. I don't know how she did it, but I was still me - I was awake. Well, mostly. "
Lander's eyebrows rose to the edge of his face and he said, not without a hint of triumph, "I knew it. You were in there."
Sahar noded.
—
Sahira watched numbly from her seat on the rock as Lander questioned Sahar about his relationship with the siesta, Denali, and why she could control him while he was awake. He refused to explain why more than "there was an incident" but agreed that when he was in close enough proximity she could control him while he was awake or by cursing his sleep. Apparently he should have been safe once he woke up, but somehow Denali had expanded her hold on Sahar even when he was beyond the edges of the Enchanted Forest.
Sahira knew that this should horrify her, or that she should at least be comforting Qiao, but she couldn't. "So is he safe to bring with us?" she asked eventualy, standing up as she did. "We need to move out after the commotion that was created."
Creed pulled her back down. "Qiao and I put up a few barriers before we left; no one will have heard anything," she said. "Besides," she added in a lower tone, "They will need a minute to figure this out."
"Humpf." She sat back down and crossed her arms. "I'm ready to be done with this."
—
Sahar noticed his sister now for the first time. He had been explaining how Denali could control him at any moment of his waking hours as long as she was nearby, and how he had actually been awake for most of the last twenty four hours, when she -Sahira- had interrupted. He had tried to catch her eye but she refused to look at him. Now, the tiefling -Creed he remembered- was pulling her back down.
Sahar remembered seeing Creed for the first time the same day he had left the Order, and she had only grown more intimidating since then. Despite her green skin, she had an elegant look about her that was not there when she was young. Her horns curled around her ears and were studded in an assortment of magic talismans, and her straight black hair framed her face. It was her eyes though, glowing an odd golden color, that hadn't changed at all in the past decade. Usually a beast like herself would have terrified him. Instead, the fear that filled Sahar was only a drop in the cup compared to everything else that had happened.
As Sahira sat back down she noticed Sahar looking their way. Creed had noticed as well. "Remember me?" her friend sneered. Sahar quickly looked down at his lap, refusing to look Creed in the eye.
"Sorry about your arm."
She cocked her head to the side. "I've had worse."
"Still, you should clean it before you go to sleep."
Creed nodded slowly in realization. "Fair point." Lander looked back and forth from Creed and Sahar. "What's he talking about?"
"He bit my arm," Creed explained, "back at the alley. When he was still Denali."
"I'll help you treat it before you rest." Qiao offered, speaking again for the first time since Sahar had woken. Creed nodded her agreement.
At the mention of the warden alley, Sahar glanced back up, trying to catch his sister's eye. He wanted her to talk to him; say anything.
"You believed me," he said, trying to force her attention. She still ignored his gaze. "In the alley, you believed me."
"So."
"You weren't wrong. It was me. Denali didn't join us until Creed teleported me away."
Sahira looked up. After a moment she spoke. "What does it matter? I shouldn't have trusted you."
Sahar opened his mouth but couldn't come up with an answer; instead he just shrugged.
—
Sahira knew she was being unfair, but she didn't know what else to do.
"So Denali can take control of your body without a moment's notice?" Lander asked, focusing back on the task at hand.
"Yes," Sahar replied.
"So we have no way -" Lander went silent. Sahar glanced up at the petal on his forehead, which Lander -bless him- hadn't removed throughout the entire duration of the questioning. He looked slowly around at everyone, eyes settling eventually on Lander again.
"Leave," Lander said after a moment.
Sahar remained quiet. Then, Qiao stepped forward, jade in hand. The silence was oppressive.
A moment later, Lander spoke. "We're good." Then he sighed, "that is going to be a problem."
Qiao looked at the half-elf. "Was it Denali? Did she come back?" he asked.
Lander nodded. "I wouldn't have known unless I were already probing his mind."
"You can never trust what I say or do," Sahar surmised. "Seventy-five percent of the time, I'm not even myself."
"Boy," Krusk grunted, "we can't trust you even as an elf."
Sahar sighed, shoulders sagging. "Fair."
"I'd trust the boy sooner than the siesta though," Creed pointed out. "Either way, we need to get him somewhere secure as soon as possible."
Everyone nodded their agreement.
—
After discussing arrangements for a few minutes, Qiao finally decided that it was time to take him back to the Order. They had decided that at least two people would watch him at all times: Sahira and Krusk would be first, as Lander and Qiao had expended the most magic and needed rest. Lander suggested setting up a system that allowed him to probe Sahar's mind at all times, but even a simple spell would exhaust him eventually. In the end, Qiao agreed to let him check every ten minutes or when anything suspicious occurred. He also commended the half-elf for his quick thinking back when Sahar had woken up. Then, they had discussed various other means of preventing Denali from sneaking up on them. Sahar had brought up the warden shop-keeper he had mentioned earlier, but of course the idea was shot down, so he didn't elaborate. In the end, they decided that the periodic checks were the best they could do.
When they were ready to move out, Sahar had asked if he could be unbound, but Qiao shook his head. "I am truly sorry son, but you are a wizard, whether you own it or not. I can give you your feet to walk, but your hands have to stay behind your back."
Sahar didn't like it. He would never practise magic again, and Qiao knew it, but Denali clearly had no qualms with it. "Okay," he conceded.
Qiao frowned as he called the ropes back. "You haven't changed one bit, have you?"
"Sometimes I think I have," Sahar answered. "But you know as well as anyone that elves are slow to change."
"I'm inclined to trust you," Qiao said, pulling him to his feet. "I know you are keeping some secrets, but everything you have told us so far has been true. I don't think you mean any harm."
Sahar looked at the old wizard. "You probably shouldn't, but thank you." Then not knowing what to do he made an awkward little bow. Qiao simply smiled and stowed his things.
—
Sahira watched the exchange from a few feet away. She was standing by until they were ready for her to start her shift watching Sahar. She had decided that she would simply ignore him; as much as possible that is.
When Qiao put away his jade, Sahar had to visibly suppress a shudder. He closed his eyes and took a breath. Qiao watched guiltily. Sahar had already assured the wizard that he didn't blame him for anything, but Sahira knew Qiao still blamed himself for her brother's pain.
Sahira stepped forward to escort her brother out of the ravine and Krusk followed. Sahar's eyes suddenly flew open.
"Professor, how does your jade work?"
Qiao looked both taken aback and concerned by the question. "It's a transmutation stone," he said after a moment. "Why do you ask?"
"I simply wondered," he replied. Lander stopped packing his things and walked towards the group. He pressed his petal to Sahar's head. Ignoring the half-elf, Sahar continued, "It's connected to me?" Then Lander pulled away, apparently satisfied that it was still her brother.
Qiao glanced between the boys and Lander went back to packing his things. Qiao addressed Sahar. "It is," he said. Sahar waited expectantly and sighing, Qiao reached for his satchel, and pulled out the stone.
"This stone was bound in essence to a plant called misericors Agelas or the Misericors Sponge. It is a rare plant and only grows off the shores of Waiba. The local people called it a Simpatico for its ability to conform –and even become part of– the organisms that live in it. With complicated magic, a transmutater can take that ability and extend it to inanimate objects as well… like my jade. I magicked a bond between them. Then when you consumed the sponge it immediately started diffusing through your blood, thereby extending the bond to you as well."
Sahar listened, nodding along. One would think he was still a student, the way he paid attention.
"The sponge doesn't hurt the organism it merges with, and some species have been known to work it out of their system eventually, but for at least a while –often years– it shares the person's substance. In your case, the only real consequence was that it bound you to my jade. I was able to use that connection to–" Qiao sighed, seeming to come to terms with himself. "Well, what happens to one piece of the trifecta will affect the other pieces in a milder sense. I began changing the jade to lead."
Creed let out a soft whistle. Sahira, for the first time, found herself feeling truly sorry for her brother. Sahar, to his credit, didn't seem fazed.
"It was the most painful thing I could do without harming your body permanently. Lead –being so toxic– would send your fairy-blood into hyperaction fighting against the transmutation. Your cells would slowly turn to lead without actually building up and giving you lasting poisoning, and your own immune response would amplify the effect to rather acute extremes. On top of that, I was targeting your nervous cells."
Sahira couldn't believe how well thought through the whole thing was. Qiao had certainly come prepared to face Sahar specifically, but before he could further elaborate, Sahar spoke up.
"Sir, if you could target my nervous system, could there be a way to target my consciousness as well?"
Qiao, ever a professor, didn't answer the question but let the student figure it out himself. "Knowing what you do of Lander's azalea flowers, what do you think?" Then suddenly, and quite severely, he cut Sahar off. "You should not be asking such questions."
"Sir–"
"It's time we go." He picked his staff decisively off the ground. "I have said it once, and won't say it again: this magic serves only one purpose–"
"Torture." Sahira finished. She felt all eyes on her, but couldn't back down now. Her brother needed Denali to leave him alone. She needed Denali to leave him alone.
She glanced at her brother, wrists bound and looking quite disheveled. She thought of how he had abandoned her and yet couldn't find it in herself to feel mad anymore. He met her gaze with a questioning look that she didn't have time to decipher. "But with it, we can stop the siesta from returning."
—
Sahar will admit he was both shocked and a little scared that Sahira had been thinking asking the same lines as him– let alone that she agreed with it.
"No," Qiao said with finality. He turned to leave, but Sahira wasn't going to drop it; and no one tried to stop her. Lander was pointedly pretending to continue organizing his bag, Creed was just watching the exchange with mild amusement, and Sahar could practically feel Krusk smirking at the confrontation that was about to occur.
"You know we have to keep Denali away," Sahira reasoned. "If we could set the jade to automatically transmutate whenever she hijacks his consciousness, she will never stick around. She's going to come back, and at some point she'll try to call your bluff."
"Perhaps," Qiao agreed, and though his sister couldn't see it, there was still a glint in his eye. "But I can make that call when that time comes."
"No!" Sahira pleaded, scrambling up the ledge after him. Everyone else shuffled along behind them, with Krusk escorting Sahar. "Don't you understand! Denali will be back. She's scared right now, because of you. We can keep it that way!"
"No." Qiao said it with such firmness that anyone else would shrink under his gaze. "I won't do it."
"Then I will," Sahira challenged. "Lander will help me." The half-elf flushed a deep shade of pink that made it quite clear he in fact did not want to help, but rather than speaking up he became suddenly quite interested in his boots. "She'll stay wise this way and we won't lose Sahar again."
Under different circumstances, Sahar would have been touched. As it was, his sister was offering to magick his nerves into lead anytime his sleep-charming friend paid him a visit. Maybe he had been about to propose the very same idea, but it sounded so different coming from Sahira.
"No." Quiao said. "And you know perfectly well why not."
"But–"
Qiao cut her off. "I don't have to explain it to you. Now are you going to take your turn walking with him or does Creed have to go first?" Sahira huffed. She dropped back and took her position on his left.
"Do worry," she whispered to Sahar. "I'll still convince him."
Somehow that didn't reassure him at all.
I've just realized this might be a bit too long for one chapter, but oh well! During a much needed break from studying, I decided to go through some of my old writing which, as it turns out, is a very nostalgic pastime. I came across this and I thought I'd share this with you. :) Though it's based on the world of D&D, I pretty much disregard the entire Player's Handbook along with every other rule tied to the game. My apologies to the die-hard RPG players out there; it's not meant in disrespect - I love the game - I simply drew ideas that were based loosely on the Tolkien-esk world of D&D. Also, due credit to my brother for helping me develop the characters and the world.
Also I will pick my Belated Adventures in Narnia series again sometime before long, probably after my testing season dies down and my life returns to a semi-steady rhythm again. This was just me taking a break and going through some of my old work. :)
I always appreciate reviews! What do you think? I have ideas for continuing the story - but I don't know if it will ever reach publishing quality. Either way, I'd love feedback...